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i The invention consists in this arrangement, and in so combining the key of .thesubdivis- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

nenEeoAMPBELL, or FREDERICK, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF ANDJAMES WHITEHILL, or SAME'PLACE.

SYSTEM OF INDEXING FOR RECORDS.

Specification forming part of LcttersPatent No. 74,299, dated February 11, 1868.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, ABNER CAMPBELL, of the city and county of Frederick, and State of Maryland, have invented a new and Improved System of Indexing for Records, &c.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a'full, clear, and exact description of the same, sufiicient to enable those skilled in the art to which my inven tion appertains to make use of it. In this'invention the names are in the first, place arranged in divisions according to'the initial letter of the surnames, as in theindexes in. common use. Each division thus formed is then subdivided according to the initial letter of the Christian name.

ions \vitlrthe index of the divisions that by their means a name can be found in, the index much more readily than by any system hitherto employed for. the purpose.

' The body of the index-shook is divided into twenty-five departments, (or twenty-six-it' L and J are not inehuled'in one class,) and the names are arranged irrone or another department, accordingly as the surname begins with A or B or 0, 8:0. Each. department is then. subdivided into twenty-five or twenty-six sub; divisions, and all the names in the department are arranged in one or another subdivision, accordingly as the Christian name begins with A or or U,'&c'. In arranging the names I usually allow one page of the book for each subdivision, which will require a book of from six hundred and twenty-five tosix hundred and seventy-six pages.

In connection with this arrangement, in order to facilitate the finding of the'subdivisions, I employ a key constructedin the following manner, and inserted in the book either before or after the index above described: First, I

.arrange the initial letters of the surnames on the outer margin of the pages, one or more on V 1 each page, employing twenty-five or. twentysix pages, or a less number, for the purpose, and en tting the ed ge'of the pages away, so that the eye can'instantly detect the position of the.

required page without opening the book. So far in arranging the key I i have not departed from the old met-hod,andclaim nothing new vupon it.

Across each page thus marked, however, I arrange aseries of twenty-five or twenty-six vertical spaces or columns wide enough to con tain three figures abreast, and each one designated by a letter of the alphabet. In these vertical columns I write the'figures indicating that page of the index-book onwhich is found the subdivision whose surnamescorrespond to the marginal letter ofthe key, and whose Christian names correspond tothedesignating-letter of the vertical column.

In finding the page of the index-book'where John 'Smiths name-is recorded, it will thus be only necessary to run the eye down the margin of the key till it rests upon S, then open at that page and run the eye across the designatingletters till it rests-upon the. letter .Lunder which will be found the figures indicating the page of the index onwhich every name whose initials are J. S. islrecorded.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as .new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- V p y 'The combination of the key constructed as described with the index arranged as speci fied, for the purpose above set f0)'fll.

To theabove specificationyot' my improved system of indexing for records, &c., I- have signed my hand this 9th day of November, 1866.

, n. CAMPB LL. Witnesses:

Sonon 0. Kristen, A. Lima. 

